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Contact Information
Location: Schultz Hall
Phone: (814) 332-4368
Email: cpdc@allegheny.edu
Times: Monday –Friday
Crisis Response: Crisis resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and can be accessed by calling the 24/7 Line at 814-332-2105.
Who we are:
- Megan McCoy, Office Coordinator/Case Manager
- Charity Grace, MA, LPC, CCTP, Counselor/Outreach Coordinator
- Andrew Toles, MA, LPC, Counselor
- Danielle Pecar, EdD, LPC, Director
- Heidi Purvis, MA, NCC, Counselor
The Counseling and Personal Development Center (CPDC) operates from a Brief Therapy lens. Brief Therapy focuses on the strengths of the client, and empowers the client to use those strengths to discover and implement tools. Brief Therapy generally consists of 1-3 sessions to identify the concern, discover tools to confront the concern, and implement those tools. Brief Therapy has been found to be effective in treating mild to moderate concerns.
The CPDC implements Brief Therapy in 3 ways: Drop Ins, Short Term Therapy, and Programming.
Drop Ins: Drop In appointments are designed for students who are not already connected to the CPDC. Drop In appointments are 25 minutes in length, and are designed for brief, one session, intervention. At the conclusion of the session, your therapist may encourage you to try Short Term Therapy or community based-therapy as needed.
Short Term Therapy: Students can request short term therapy by contacting the CPDC at cpdc@allegheny.edu or by calling 814-332-4368.
- Triage Appointment: Students requesting Short Term Therapy will initially be scheduled for a triage appointment. This appointment gathers background information and is designed to refer to the most appropriate level of care.
- Short Term Therapy: Typically 3 individual sessions a semester, (up to 5 sessions a semester, based on therapist recommendation).
- Group Therapy: The CPDC offers a variety of groups throughout the semester. Group therapy generally meets weekly for the length of the semester. Students with presenting concerns that fit into the topic of the group are most likely to be referred. Referral to group therapy is good for one semester. Students who are referred to group therapy are not eligible for individual sessions during their time in group therapy.
Crisis Support: The CPDC provides around the clock crisis support via our 24/7 Line (814-332-2105). We ask that students contact this line before directly contacting the CPDC when seeking immediate support.
Resources for Staff, Faculty, and Administrators
Consultation-Staff, faculty, and administrators can contact the CPDC to consult regarding concerns related to a student.
Outreach Programming-Staff, faculty, and administrators can contact the CPDC regarding outreach programming. Programming can include a general overview of services offered by the CPDC to programming specific to factors that can potentially impact academic performance. For example, test anxiety, managing stress, relationship/community building, boundary setting, etc.
Referral Process-Staff, faculty, and administrators can refer a student for services. This involves encouraging the student to access services that best support his/her/their needs or addresses concerns; calling the CPDC with the student present and allowing the student to speak with the office coordinator regarding services.
When to refer a student:
Refer a student when you are faced with one or more of the following factors:
- The student shares an intent to harm self or others.
- The student is emotionally overwhelmed and unable to express or articulate the concern.
- The problem is not going away, is getting more serious, or you are feeling less comfortable handling the situation on your own.
- The student is unresponsive to, or resists your efforts to intervene. The student is unwilling or unable to change.
- The student requests information you are unable to provide.
- You notice changes in the student’s behavior and/or affect that are concerning.
- You are unable to be objective because of previous dealings with, or knowledge about, the student.
Whenever possible inform the student of the reasons for the referral. It is not unusual for students to resist the idea of seeking support. If the student chooses not to seek help, he/she/they cannot be forced. It is best to continue to show concern and encourage the student to seek support from appropriate sources. If you are not sure what to do, call the CPDC for a consultation (814) 332-4368.
If a student is willing to come to the CPDC to seek support, you can help in the referral process by:
- Letting the student call from your office to schedule an initial assessment or providing the student with the 24/7 Line.
- Suggesting the student check out the CPDC website for online screenings and other self-help information.
- Giving the student the phone number, email address, and location of the CPDC and encouraging them to schedule an appointment at their convenience.
- Walking the student over to the CPDC.
If a student is willing to seek support, but prefers to do so off-campus, please contact the CPDC and we can provide you with a list of community referrals to share with the student; or, have the student contact the CPDC and request a list of community resources.
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